The rare courage of a CBSE topper who lost both her parents to COVID
COVID-19 claimed the lives of many people, but within all that tragedy emerged stories of the unwavering courage of people who have lost their loved ones. Meet Vanisha, a 16-year-old girl from Bhopal girl who lost both her parents to COVID-19. Despite this difficult circumstance, she scored 99.8% in her Board exams and received 100 in four subjects – Science, Social Science, Sanskrit and IT.
In an interview with Mojo, Vanisha spoke about how she dealt with adversity and what it taught her.
Even during such devastating times, she mustered the courage and mental fortitude to not only prepare for and sit for exams but also to ace them. Her loss and tough times taught her a lifelong lesson.
“Life is full of ups and downs. The trick is to enjoy the ups and have the courage to face the downs,” she said.
Vanisha has a 10-year-old younger brother. The four of them got COVID. Her parents’ condition, on the other hand, was critical, and they needed to be taken to the hospital. Her mom was admitted for ten days, and her dad was admitted for approximately 20 days.
While her parents were in the hospital, her paternal aunt looked after her and her brother. Her parents advised her not to let her strength dwindle.
Her father desired that she become an IITian, while her mother wanted her to become an IAS officer. In the future, she will study for the IIT-JEE and then the UPSC to fulfil her parents’ dreams.
“Their memories motivated me and have now become a treasure for me.”
“Life is full of ups and downs. The trick is to enjoy the ups and have the courage to face the downs,”
When she couldn’t deal with his father’s memories and was heartbroken remembering him, she decided to express her feelings through a poem about the loss she had suffered.
“I will be a strong girl without you, daddy!” it says. This heartfelt poetry demonstrates her zest for life and the courage it takes to face the lemons that life throws at you.
She had now dedicated this poem to both her parents.
Even though her board results had filled her with joy and optimism, but the grief hits suddenly, and you have to deal with it. So, she eventually came to believe that those who truly love us do not leave us. They are always watching over us.
“You can’t see them, touch them, or feel them,” she stated.
She encourages all young people to keep moving forward no matter what. Their inner strength and confidence will sustain those who are grieving. Everything will be fine in the end because there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.